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Buying a New home? Check the Roof First!22 November 2018

Checking a house's roof needs to be on top of your checklist

Buying a new home is stressful enough, without finding out after the deed is done that you have purchased a whole load of stress and worry in the form of countless repairs. So, if you spot a potential dream home create a checklist of all the aspects that need careful consideration before you commit.

With this much money at stake, you should never buy on impulse or after just one viewing – go back again and again to make sure you are 100% happy.

The roof is at the top of the house, so checking it needs to be on top of your checklist.

Here’s how and why…

1. What You See is What You Get

When selling a home, there are a few tried and tested tricks used to ‘wow’ potential buyers. A new paint job, flowers everywhere, a warm fire, the smell of fresh baked bread and some luxurious looking furniture – all of these are cosmetic. But a roof cannot be hidden or changed quite so easily. Its hard to hide the missing tiles, or the damaged pointing on the chimney; the roof can tell many tales of the rest of the house. What you see on the roof may be hinting at the overall condition of the construction.

2. Roofs Cost Money

If the kitchen tiles aren’t to your liking, so what – you can change them quickly and without a huge outlay. Old gutters, down pipes, missing tiles, bowing roofs, damaged flashing – all of these point to the possibility of a major repair job or possibly a new roof. Which is fine if the property is going cheap and you have money put aside for improvements, but if the property is at the top of your budget already, you can’t ignore a poor roof. It will need fixing, so think again.

3. Your Chimney is Not Just for Decoration

A leaning or bulging chimney is a sign of serious stress, and a potential safety risk. The fire may be warming your toes in the living room, but if the chimney is on the point of collapse those comforting flames will be no good to you.

4. Look to Extend in to Your Loft

A decent loft is so useful when it comes to storing those moving boxes, but that’s not all its good for. It’s the internal structure of your roof, so check it out. Are there signs of any unwanted visitors, is the wood in good shape? How insulated is it?

You want your home standing for a few good years to come so the a few minutes inspecting your loft space is time well spent. And you never know; Maybe one day you would like to extend your living space – could you do it in this loft?

However, viewing a property with a few roofing gremlins is not all bad news – it could help you negotiate a more realistic price that meets your budget. As long as you know a reputable roofing company it need not be the end of the world if the roof on your potential dream home needs fixing!